Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-16

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The chart below gives information about how families in one country spent their weekly income in 1968 and in 2018.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

1968 and 2018: average weekly spending by families

Student answer (Band 7.0)

The chart provides information about how families in one country spent their weekly income on eight different items in 1968 and in 2018.

Overall, families spent the largest amount of their money on food in 1968, while leisure was the biggest expense in 2018. However, families spent the least amount of their money on fuel and power in 1968, while personal goods and fuel and power had the smallest expense in 2018.

In 1968, about 35% of weekly income was spent on food. This was much higher than housing, clothing and footwear, which were both around 10%. Fuel and power accounted for 6%, while household, personal and transport were each close to 8%. Leisure made up to approximately 9% of income.

In 2018, leisure became the largest expense of weekly income to around 22%, while housing is the second highest expense at around 19%. Food accounted for 17% and transport accounted for 14% respectively. Household goods fell to 7%, while clothing and footwear decreased to around 5%. In contrast, fuel and power and personal goods both were around 4% approximately.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The student covers all parts of the task well, successfully reporting the main features of the chart for both 1968 and 2018. An overview is provided right at the beginning, noting the shift from food to leisure as the primary expense. Key figures are accurately cited, such as food at 35% in 1968 and leisure at 22% in 2018. Comparisons between categories and years are made effectively throughout the body paragraphs. The data is accurately grounded in the provided chart, and the response meets all requirements for a Band 7 level in Task Achievement by providing a clear summary with relevant supported ideas.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The response demonstrates clear logical organisation and progression. Information is grouped sensibly, with an introductory paragraph, an overview paragraph, and two distinct body paragraphs focusing on the respective years (1968 and 2018). Cohesive devices are used adequately and appropriately, such as 'Overall', 'However', and 'In contrast'. Paragraphing is used sufficiently to structure the comparison. While referencing and transitions are generally clear, slightly more sophisticated cohesive linking between sentences could elevate this section further. Overall, the flow is smooth and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms related to financial data such as 'weekly income', 'expense', 'accounted for', and 'proportion'. Less common vocabulary items are attempted, including 'approximately', 'decreased', and 'respectively'. There are minor inaccuracies in word choice or phrasing, such as 'fuel and power and personal goods both were around 4% approximately' (redundancy with 'both' and 'approximately'), but these do not impede communication. The lexical range is sufficient to convey the trends and proportions clearly.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The writer displays a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There is good use of subordinate clauses and comparative structures, such as 'while leisure was the biggest expense in 2018' and 'This was much higher than housing, clothing and footwear'. Grammatical control is generally good, though there is a tense slip in the final paragraph ('while housing is the second highest expense', where past tense 'was' should be used since the whole report describes past years). Punctuation and sentence boundaries are handled well, and errors do not impede communication, earning a solid Band 6.5.

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